Tongue and Brisket on Leather Lane in Smithfield near Holburn Station is a Deli serving many of the Jewish Classics. Some people describe it as a New York style Deli, but that is unfair to the history of the area. This was the sort of place that we found in London long before those guys over the pond learnt how to love a sandwich.

I love exploring new places and this recent find was when I was checking out Leather Lane Market  near Holborn. I was in the area just looking randomly for something to eat while waiting for a meeting in a nearby office complex.

I got there just as it was closing but there were still a few places open for a late lunch, I was so jealous of the people I was about to meet with as they have this amazing street on their doorstep every single lunchtime. Note to self ‘must manipulate move to London’

Chalkboard Action

I was loving the Tongue and Brisket Chalkboard menu up above the counter as it was filled with so many classics that I really felt I needed to eat right there and then. The list of sandwich filling rolls of the tongue, like? well like, a slice of Ox Tongue (which was option number two in the list!)

I had my eye on the Chicken Schnitzel sandwich, but so did my companion, and as it was so late and they were near closing there was just one sandwich left! Classic nightmare? or Classic opportunity. It was to be the latter as we chose two sandwiches and mentally agreed to switch (I was gritting my teeth during said negotiation) #justkidding

Chicken Schnitzel on Rye

I am struggling to be able to describe just how good this classic Chicken Schnitzel sandwich is. It is basically a pretty simple thing, the key being that the star of the show is the Chicken Schnitzel.  Essentially this is just a chicken breast pounded thin, coated with breadcrumbs and then fried. It sounds simple and it is, but you need to be skilled to cook it so that it is still moist and tender inside, that the breading is crisp, light and oil free. Luckily for me they had all of those things just right here at Tongue and Brisket.

Initially I wanted this on white bread but they had just run out (see later – yeh like that quick) and so I was forced down the route of getting mine on Rye bread. Oh My Gosh, did I win? and how much did I win by? The rye bread here is amazing, I was told that it comes in fresh every single day and that they sell out every single day. I can see why, it is soft, light, has a great crust and most of all it has that awesome taste of the caraway seed that hits you every other bite. Salvations and Salutations to the baker!

I even like the house made coleslaw that they added to my sandwich, it was crunchy, fresh, and best all was not sharp and vinegary, it was all creamy with a little bit of a citric hint to add a tang to the salad.

Roast Turkey

MyFoodHunt partner in crime really wanted that Chicken too, but it was not to be so they ordered the Roast Turkey sandwich instead. This came on white bread with cranberry sauce and stuffing. It was another classic and another winner of a sandwich.

You really did get a lot of Turkey, and I was so happy that it was nice and moist! The sandwich was filled with bountiful slices of white meat and was at least four layers thick. You are getting a decent bang for you buck here.

The Cranberry sauce was a little bit sweet for my liking, but there was so much meat that it was not too intrusive. The soft white bread was amazing, but not as amazing as that white rye bread I had with my chicken! Having said that I would order this again if I was lucky enough to be able to make a second visit for lunch.

Tongue and Brisket is located at 24-26 Leather Lane EC1N 7SU and it is pretty near to the Holburn Underground station.

They describe themselves succinctly as;

“The home of real Salt Beef! House-cured and hand-carved meat in the heart of London. Located on Leather Lane & Wardour Street.”

You can follow them on their Twitter feed and also on their Facebook page